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Comanches travel to Canadian for district showdown

Over the past ten years, Canadian has been one of the toughest places in the state to get a win and a place that has been unkind to the West Texas High Comanches.There is no question winning in Canadian is still going to be tough, but there is a feeling in Stinnett that the Comanches are good enough this season to go into the Eastern Texas Panhandle and come away with a big win over the Canadian Wildcats, putting themselves in one of the driver’s seats for one of the three District 1-1A Division I playoff spots and potentially a district title.The game will feature a contrast in styles of play, with the Comanches bringing their big physical style of play against the Wildcats’ finesse style of spreading the field to try to use their athleticism. The Comanches bring momentum from an impressive 21-6 district opening win over Boys Ranch.As has been the case most of this season, the Comanches used a combination of great defense and a good running game to control the tempo of the game and limit Boys Ranch’s opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.Against Boys Ranch, Comanches’ quarterback Alex Ramirez and running back Colin Coleman continued to add to their impressive stats for the season by combining for over 200 yards on the ground. However, a lot of the credit for the Comanches success needs to go to the great play on the offensive line led by Ty Lay, Austin Ivy, and Cheyne Keasler.Defensively, the Comanches limited Boys Ranch to 102 yards of total offense, including just five in the second half.The Wildcats enter Friday night coming off a double overtime 20-14 loss to Sunray last week and will be looking to get into the district win column against the Comanches.The Wildcats are led by some of the better playmakers in the Texas Panhandle in quarterback Braden Hudson, and running backs Isaac Lewis and Taylor Schafer.Against the high-powered Wildcat offense, it is unlikely the Comanches will have a repeat performance in limiting Canadian to just 100 yards of total offense like they did against Boys Ranch. But with the size up front, the Comanches should be able to put good pressure on the quarterback to disrupt the timing of the Wildcat passing game.Sunray did a good job of applying pressure last week, causing Hudson to complete just 11 of his 24 passing attempts.On offense, the Comanches will need to take advantage of the opportunities given to them to control the clock and keep the Wildcats’ offense off the field. In order to do so, the Comanches will need to play a clean game limiting their penalties and having no turnovers.Getting a win in Canadian is going to be the toughest challenge the Comanches have faced so far this season. However, with three losses, the Wildcats appear to be more vulnerable compared to recent years, while the Comanches should be going into Friday night with a lot of confidence with their 6-1 record.In a district that features four teams in the TheOldCoach.com top 25 poll, Friday’s contest will have big ramifications in regards for the race for the playoffs.A win by West Texas High will put them in a good spot with a 2-0 district record with two games to go. A loss by Canadian will potentially put their playoff hopes on life support. Due to the high stakes, both the Comanches and Wildcats should enter Friday night ready to give it all they have and provide the makings for an entertaining district showdown.Kickoff between the Comanches and Wildcats is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Canadian.